This Will All Be Worth It
by Kristen3
Summary: Niles comes home to unexpectedly find his pregnant wife in pain. Even more surprising is that she's been in this condition for hours and didn't want to worry him. Daphne's explanation warms Niles' heart. One-shot.


**Author's Note: **Many thanks to Billie (**LoisAndClarkSuperfan**) for inadvertently planting a seed for this. I know this may not be 100% medically accurate, but I doubt anyone cares!

Niles breathed a sigh of relief as he took out his key. Home at last. His day at work had been busy, as usual. Daphne was now several months pregnant, and she'd had a doctor's appointment today. But, knowing about her husband's work schedule, she'd insisted on going without him. Niles hated the idea, but Daphne repeatedly said it was a routine checkup, and everything would be fine. Unfortunately, Niles had been too backed up with his patients to ever have a chance to call home and find out how the appointment had gone.

When he opened the door, instead of his usual smiling wife waiting to greet him with a kiss, Niles was shocked to see Daphne sitting on the couch, doubled over in pain. "My love, what is it?" He rushed to her side immediately.

"It's nothing, really," Daphne replied. "The doctor wanted to run a few tests today, and he said there might be some cramping afterward."

It tore at Niles' heart to see his wife in such pain. "Perhaps we should get you to the hospital. I don't like seeing you like this."

Despite her discomfort, Daphne smiled at him. "Darling, this isn't really so bad. I've already survived having a baby once. If I can get through giving birth in a vet's office, I can get through anything!"

Niles breathed a bit easier, seeing that his wife maintained her sense of humor even at a moment such as this. But still, his heart ached for her. "Can I get you anything?"

Daphne shook her head. "It's going away now. It's been coming and going for a couple of hours now."

"You've been like this for hours, and you didn't call me?!"

"I told you, it isn't so bad. And Roz came with me to the doctor to look after David while I was with the doctor. She told me I should call you, too, but I knew you were busy today. I didn't want to worry you."

"My love, it's my job to worry about you. After all, what's inside here is half mine." Niles put his hand on her stomach. "I feel like this is all my fault."

Daphne touched his cheek. "This is not a punishment, Niles. This is a miracle. I won't say that having a baby is easy, but I'm willing to do it, because I know it'll be worth it."

"I love you," Niles said, leaning forward to kiss her. He never forgot the days when kissing her was nothing more than a dream. Now, being able to do it anytime he wanted was even more wonderful than he'd imagined back then.

"I love you, too," Daphne said when the kiss ended. She was glad she had someone like Niles beside her at a time like this. She couldn't imagine what Roz must've gone through, being pregnant and alone.

Niles didn't know what to say for a moment, but then he broke the silence. "Where's our sweet boy?"

"He's upstairs napping. I'm afraid I haven't been able to check on him since Roz left."

"Well, why don't I go and take a look at him?" Niles asked.

Daphne almost wanted to protest. She was feeling much better now, and she missed David terribly. But she knew Niles wasn't about to let her stand up now. And besides, he had probably been looking forward to seeing their son just as much as she had. "I'm sure David would love to see you," she said.

Niles didn't waste another second. He stood up and quickly headed for the stairs. David was just over a year old. It was remarkable how fast he was growing. Though he wasn't quite talking much yet, both Niles and Daphne had explained to him many times that he was about to be a big brother. Niles prayed that his unborn child would one day have the kind of relationship with his or her older brother that Niles and Frasier had.

When he reached the nursery, Niles was glad to see that David was awake. He immediately lifted his son from the crib. "Hi," Niles said. "I missed you." He held the baby close, kissing his cheek.

David smiled at his father. It was clear he'd been waiting for company for some time now.

"I'm sorry you've been all alone in here," Niles said. "But your mommy wasn't feeling well. I think she's better now, though. Want to go down and see her?" The smile hadn't disappeared from David's face, so Niles took that as a yes. He carried his son down the stairs. "Look who wanted to come say hello," Niles said when he saw Daphne still sitting on the couch where he'd left her.

Daphne smiled at the sight of her son. She'd hated being separated from him, for even a few hours. When Niles came closer, she took the baby from him. "Hi, sweetheart." Daphne kissed his cheek. It was a bit awkward to hold him with her stomach now so large. But she didn't mind a bit.

After being cooped up in his crib, David was glad to be back where he belonged. He smiled up at his mother.

Niles could hardly breathe as he took in the sight of the two people he loved most in the world. Having one son was definitely more than he could ever have dreamed of back when he loved Daphne from afar. The fact that there was a second baby on the way was almost too good to be true. He couldn't resist pinching himself, just to make sure this was all real.

"You see, Niles?" Daphne asked, turning her gaze away from the baby in her arms. "This is why I don't mind going through all of that pain."

"Yes, my love, I completely understand. But this is _our_ baby, so don't forget that I want to do all I can to help you."

Daphne knew that she'd probably gone a bit overboard in trying to do everything on her own. Being pregnant was hard enough without another baby to take care of at the same time. She was lucky to have a husband who was so willing to do anything he could for her. Maybe next time she didn't have to be Superwoman. She nodded. "We'll remember that from now on, won't we?" Daphne whispered as she turned her attention back to David. As she looked at his sweet face, she thought about the child who was still inside her. He or she was lucky indeed. Not only would David be an excellent big brother, but there could never be a better father than Niles.

**The End**


End file.
